14 DAY TRIAL // Maybe the biggest change introduced in the Charlemagne expansion for Crusader Kings II is the fact that all rulers now have a limit to how many vassals they can have at one time, determined by their stats and by the law of the lands they are ruling.
For those who prefer to start the grand strategy title with a lowly duke and then steadily increase the power of their family, the change will initially seem like a small thing that will not affect them in any way.
But the most powerful kings or emperors will quickly find that they have more vassals than their limit allows for, which comes with some pretty big negative consequences.
Less troops are raised when the underlings are called to war, and there’s less money from taxes. For instance, while playing as Charlemagne himself, I found myself unable to raise any kind of troops because my vassals had too low an opinion of me, which led to some pretty nasty defeats.
Another issue with over-the-limit situations is that, once the current ruler dies, powerful vassals can try to secede and often they actually manage to achieve their goal.
In order to cope with the limit, gamers who love Crusader Kings II will have to get creative and find ways to create an improved hierarchy for their lands, which requires time and dedication.
Moving vassals around can create powerful entities which can decide to rebel at one point or to conspire against their ruler, but it’s a quick way to get under the limit and make sure that full armies can be raised when needed.
Crusader Kings II and the focus on realism
The development team at Paradox Interactive has long sought to find a balance between historical realism and good gameplay for their grand strategy title, and there are times when I think of the vassal limit as a problem because it comes too close to the real world and creates a burden for players.
On the other hand, Crusader Kings II has always been a little weird, more concerned with role playing than with finding a way to conquer as much territory as possible.
So, as I tried once again to dominate the heathens of Europe as Charlemagne, I started to see the limit not as a restriction but as an occasion to see how other characters could be persuaded to give up power or to accumulate it without actually using it to attack their liege.
